Day Late Friend
by Razzella
Summary: "I've told you that story a thousand times—" Sakura sighed, chuckling at the persistent child with a bit of a grin. "I like hearing about Prince Charming, though!" Big blue eyes stared back pleadingly, and her daughters oh-too-familiar lop-sided grin won out in the end. [Naruto X Sakura X Deidara]
1. Prologue

Oh how I love guessing games! I got a fun idea [again] to start a NaruSakuDei story, that will probably float into nothingness eventually, but for now is absolutely adorable and time consuming. Forgive me for my crap about not updating and writing teaser one-shots instead, I swear I'll get around to it as soon as I get re-inspired for them

Review, follow, favorite, etc.

- Razz

* * *

Day Late Friend

* * *

"So what was he like, Ma?" The emerald eyed woman smiled at the pot she was currently stirring, not being able to contain the nostalgic wave of joy that pressed its way into her heart. A bright eyed blond stared up at her from her place by the stove, tiny hands gripping the oven as she grinned impishly up at her mother.

"Who, baby?" The young woman hummed, noticing the pouty glare she got in return for her feigning ignorance. She really was so much like her father in some ways, with her big blue eyes and tumbling blond locks. The only sign that Sakura was involved at all in her precious daughters making was the faintest hints of green around the small child's iris – and the fact the tiny girl had inherited a rather large forehead for her age.

"You know who! Tell me the story of how you met again, please, please, pleeeease?" The small child grew more excited with each passing second, eyes growing in size as her tiny fingers laced together in front of her pitifully.

"I've told you that story a thousand times—"

"I like hearing about Prince Charming, though!"

Defeated, the pinkette shook her head ruefully, noting the very familiar smirk than adorned her daughters features as she finished stirring her pot and placed a lid on it thoughtfully. The girl squealed in joy when her mother stepped away from the stove and wiped her pale hands on her apron before removing it and making her way towards the sitting room – where her hyperactive daughter was already bouncing around excitedly. Oh yes, so much like her father.

"Mami, go get Aiko and Katsumi, since I know you little heathens are all in this together." The small girl grinned impishly again at having been caught, running off to gather her siblings. Needless to say, the birth of twins after her eldest son was not something Sakura had been prepared for in the sense of being a mother; much less raising three children on her own. It was nothing but a blessing that she had such kind friends willing to help her raise them. Sakura shook her head as she plopped down in her recliner, watching as the twins tripped Katsumi in their race down the stairs. The boy glared daggers as he stumbled slightly, his emerald eyes narrowed in irritation before trotting down and dropping in front of their mothers seat.

Katsumi was only the eldest by a year, but he had taken after her in his incredible wit and was already begging her to let him join the academy. Honestly, she had been informed on multiple accounts that the five year old was a prodigy in the making – even going so far as to excel against the youngest Uchihas' first born on multiple occasions. His father would have been smug beyond all recognition if he was around to witness their sparring together; in which Katsumi had made the Uchiha boy lose his cool _and _managed to beat him at his own game. It was quite comical to the pinkette, but Sasuke had been irritated and probably trained the poor boy into exhaustion when they left the old training grounds. Really, she couldn't help but pity her lost loves' frustration with trying to rebuild his clan – it was a lot harder than he had expected, clearly.

"Okaasan." Katsumi greeted, giving her the same lopsided grin Mami had given her by the stove. Aiko was, as usual, bashfully quiet as she nuzzled into the eldest boys side between her more rambunctious siblings. Her beautiful, perfect children that held every memory of their father alive; the trio she had poured every ounce of love she had left in to.

"Mami says you guys want to hear about my Prince Charming again?" Sakura hummed and caught sight of Aikos blush, though the small girl nodded a bit. It was too cute how they squirmed in the mention of her charming male companion – as if they hadn't heard the story a thousand times over in every which way it could be told.

Actually, come to think of it, she had never started at the beginning. In fact, she had always started midway through to spare the long boring details of how her life was before the adventure that ass of a man had put her through; maybe it was about time they saw the darker side of the story to her Prince Charming. Maybe they would be less eager to hear about how he managed to turn her life inside out and crushed her ethics into the ground, only to build them anew in order to fit the new world they lived in.

"Well, let's start at the beginning this time…"


	2. He's Still Renowned

Ew, this chapter is awkward and rushed - and almost didn't even make the cut I stopped and rewrote it so many times - but I'm impatient and wanted to get things rolling. Enjoy this less-than-wonderful, mostly-just-for-information-and-lulz chapter.

- Razz

* * *

Sakura leaned over and gently planted a kiss on her sweethearts cheek, ignoring the light that was breaking in through the bedroom blinds as best she could. Today she was leaving for Amegakure; today she would be playing peace ambassador and work as the Akatsuki medic for "a few months". She really hoped he would be okay with leaving her in their clutches after everything they had been put through because of the group of [former] criminals.

"Naruto." She purred softly into his cheek, smiling at the way his sleeping form pulled her tighter to him; his snoring cutting short for a moment before slowly slipping back in. Realizing she wasn't going to win this way, the small female wiggled down and ran her fingers along his exposed chest tentatively, lips pressing into his jaw lightly as she smiled deviously. It hadn't taken her long into their relationship to realize it was easier to gently prod him awake than deal with the wailing he did if she forced him up; she was keen on practicing her newest theory. He stirred with a bit of a groan, dazedly blinking sleep from his eyes as the cherry blossom in his arms nibbled at his flesh.

"Tease." Naruto croaked as his fingers dug into her side slightly, growling lowly as she nipped at one of the [many] love bites she had left him the night before.

"I had to wake you up somehow," Sakura hummed as she nuzzled into his neck. "I need a shower; I have to meet Tsunade at the gate in about two hours." He grumbled something incoherent as she slipped from his grasp, trying to ignore the lustful gaze that trailed after her.

"Funny, I think I could use a shower too." He said with his usual cheerfulness, a devious grin pulling onto his face as he bound out of bed with new-found energy and lifted the girl by her waist and into his arms. Her laughter and cries of foul play were silenced with a needy kiss as he slipped them into his bathroom and whisked her away for a "shower".

* * *

Sakura wanted to groan as a familiar head of blond hair came sauntering her way with a massive grin; a grin that said she knew exactly what her pink-haired friends evening had entailed with a certain blond, whiskered male. Instinctively, her face dusted pink as she awkwardly tried to weave her way into a crowd of people. It went unnoticed as Ino followed after her movements easily, managing to wrap a slender arm around her friends shoulders as she hummed thoughtfully.

"So, my dear Sakura, how was _your _evening?" Being barely eighteen, the other female awkwardly cleared her throat, scratching her cheek. It was obvious the other female had noted her current state of dress – more importantly, the familiar swirl on Narutos' black T-Shirt. Her own shirt had been less-than-wearable with the fact it was quite literally ripped off her tiny form. Her lovely pink over-jacket was weakly concealing her incriminating attire, but it had failed to mask the truth from Inos' knowing stare.

"Shut up, Pig." Sakura grumbled and Ino howled in laughter, following the pinkette to her house for something to wear for her mission.

"I'm glad you finally gave in; you guys have been dating for almost two years." Ino mused, noting the eye-roll she got in response. "Honestly, I expected you to be married and have a few mini-foreheads running around by now considering how the war went. All that pent-up sexual tension that seemed to flare to life when the other was around was becoming suffocating." Sakura shoved the other girl a bit, scowling despite the faintest ghost of a smile flickering onto her features.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." The war had indeed been an interesting little thing; when "Madara" finally became a God in his own right, he resurrected the shinobi that had fallen in his service. Frankly, had he not had a rather abrupt and drastic change of heart when that Rin girl appeared, the whole world would have been shattered under his hand. They were lucky Rin was completely and utterly loyal to the Leaf Village – had she not been so adamant he return all the souls lost to his stupid war and stop acting like an asshole it would have been quite the nasty loss for them. It was quite comical in hindsight – the small girl storming up to him and hissing about how immature he was being – but at the moment everyone was holding their breath in terror for her poor soul.

Once that was settled and Rin harassed him for his behavior, a weary peace treaty was signed between the Akatsuki and Shinobi villages, leaving them all on mostly good terms. Rin was assigned to be "Madaras" – it was only when the girl fussed and griped that everyone realized it was Obito Uchiha – personal Leaf ambassador; she was left in his care as a fairly awkward means of keeping him in line. Kakashi had not been happy at all about it, but after a heart-felt reunion it was all settled and the new world was working together to rebuild and live in peace.

Needless to say, Rin was the only thing keeping the new self-proclaimed 'God' from smiting them all into oblivion.

"I mean, I know you've checked out the Akatsuki every time one of them rolls into the village, but everyone is still having some hurt feelings on a personal level; I'm glad you didn't end up gallivanting after one of them." The Akatsuki and their new God had become something of a neutral territory between the nations; really, they could pretty much do whatever they wanted legal or not because no one wanted to pick a fight with them. As long as they kept their newest power in check and the target off their own villages back, everyone was happy.

"I don't have any interest in ex-criminals; it's so below me." Sakura scoffed, shaking her head. "I don't even want this mission, really, but Tsunade insisted it was perfect for me." Ino frowned sympathetically as they reached her house.

"Just survive the mission and come back – I'm sure Tsunade will let you take off to make pretty babies with your lover." The latter mocking statement earned a twitching eyebrow and a rather rude goodbye before the door slammed in the laughing blonds face. Trudging to her bedroom, Sakura managed to find her usual outfit – though she did pack away Narutos T-shirt into her bag simply for the sake of having it with her – before checking the time.

Oh God, she was late.

Dashing from her house she was practically throwing herself towards the gate; she plopped down right in front of Tsunade and a fairly smug looking Naruto. It was completely coincidence that she would be travelling with the most impatient of the Akatsuki – Sasori and Deidara – but it still made her want to face-palm.

"You're late." Her mentors brusque voice earned an awkwardly quiet apology as she tried not to let her face flare bright pink. Of course she was late! Her boyfriend's roaming hands and the fact her house was clear across the village was enough to effectively hinder her chances at being on time. Naruto was apparently aware of this from the way he was clearly trying not to snicker at her, and she gave him an icy glare. His expression turned sheepish as he scratched the back of his head, effectively melting her heart as her attention flickered back to the Hokage.

Sakura had been informed ahead of time that she wasn't supposed to be receiving any heart-felt goodbyes, since they were trying to maintain a "professional" air about them – but this didn't stop Naruto. Before Tsunade had time to catch him, his arms encircled her waist and he kissed her deeply, eliciting a small squeak of surprise before she returned the gesture; her mentor rudely interrupted the passionate moment by clearing her throat and tugging the blond away from his cherry blossom.

"I'll see you when I get back." The pinkette murmured as her face flushed pink, casting them a bashful smile before she trotted out past the gate to meet her travelling companions for the first time since the war.

If she was being honest, it was _so fucking awkward._

After all, she had killed one of them – who was apparently still annoyed about the whole 'being human again' thing – and the other her boyfriend had beaten into a bloody pulp on numerous occasions. The emerald-eyed female didn't bother trying to make conversation with them; instead settled on the fact this trip was going to be long, silent, and an unpleasant experience in general. So of course, when an hour into the journey the man she killed decided to strike up a conversation she was fairly surprised.

"Leader has decided you'll be exclusively an Akatsuki medic, considering we have never had one besides Kakuzu and Zetsu." Sakura remembered each of them with some disdain, nodding her head a bit slowly.

"I assumed as much." What was she supposed to say to that? Really, he could have at least offered her something to work with. "How's the whole 'being human' thing going?" Sakura hadn't meant it as an insult, but she received an icy glare either way; the blond of the pair snickered quietly at the exchange. Now that she wasn't immediately enemies with the artists on either side, they were both pretty good-looking [she noted this by Sasoris' now life-like appearance provoking the thought]. Considering the last time she saw either of them was when she was mutilating them or witnessing them being so, they had really stepped up on the levels of attractiveness.

Sasoris cinnamon eyes held a lazy appearance still, true to his former self from her memories; his hair was just the right about of unkempt that it gave him a boyish charm. If he wasn't completely insane and turning people into puppets a hobby of his, she may have considered him dating material. He practically towered over her, though, which forced her to resist a pout. Actually, both men towered over her; that dropped her mood a bit as she scowled to herself. The blond was an epiphany of beauty – with his blue eyes a lighter shade than that of her lover and obviously well-tended locks. Really, it was like a massive slap in the face for all women to meet a pair of men so utterly gorgeous.

"Have you ever been to Amegakure, hm?" Deidara caught her lingering eyes and she quickly relocated them, ignoring the sly grin she got in response.

"No, I never found myself stationed there." Sakura scoffed, shrugging her shoulders a bit.

"I figured as much." His voice was mocking, teasing her for getting caught staring. Inwardly, she was cursing herself for not paying closer attention to their own gazes. "It's constantly raining, un; it's pretty annoying."

"Are we really making small talk about the weather?" The pinkette didn't quite catch her giggle as she shook her head, grinning to herself.

"It's better than a day's travel in silence, yeah?" Deidara purred to her, quietly enjoying her amusement as Sasori rolled his eyes at them. If he was being honest – and the blond often found he was, indeed, very honest – the small female was kinda cute. He had always thought as much, even when she was battered and bruised she was a beautiful girl. Her light hair framed her face nicely; her emerald eyes were always shining with a look of silent determination. Really, she was a bit exotic – and he was thoroughly enjoying the whole "peace treaty" business [while it lasted] in getting to know her.

"I guess so." Sakura chuckled, smiling at him sheepishly. "So what's it like besides the rain?" He glanced away thoughtfully, subconsciously tapping a finger to his chin. What were girls usually worried about when they visited new places?

"A bit gloomy, un." He said honestly, shrugging. "I don't particularly care for it; the people are friendly enough, though. You'll probably want to go shopping for something a bit warmer, the constant lack of sunshine tends to make the place feel like an icebox, yeah." Sakura nodded slightly, a new bounce in her step as her favorite [i.e.: Least hated/most interesting] Akatsuki spoke to her. She really hoped it wasn't as miserable as he made it seem, that would be a massive damper on her mood. Especially considering she was supposed to be there for several months at least. Her eyes flickered to the sun shining high in the sky and glanced at the familiar beaten path they were walking alone. Oh, she would miss her warm, sunny Konoha.

Glancing at the males scratched-out headband she paused to consider the next branch of conversation, humming quietly to herself. She had been to Iwa before – it was here she decided it wasn't just Deidara, and that all Iwa-nin were bastards by nature – and actually had enjoyed the change of scenery. She'd really wished she could have gone during the winter, when the rocks weren't absolutely scolding hot and the wind didn't feel like it was suffocating you with its equal heat. This was mostly due to the fact she wanted to see the snow, though.

"Mm, I don't really mind the rain; I'd prefer snow, but rain isn't too terrible." Deidara snorted at that, shaking his head slightly.

"Snow's almost worse, un. At least rain doesn't slow you down or give away your location."

"Yes, because slipping all over the place is much preferred."

"You don't slip if you know what you're doing, hm."

"You of all people should hate rain more than snow – doesn't it make it a pain to use your 'art'?"

"It's better than it being frozen solid, yeah."

And this was how they continued for the remainder of the day – bickering back and forth as if they were old friends. Frankly, the fact they didn't try to kill each other was surprising; even more so when they got off on the subject of Deidaras art and Sasori decided to mutter under his breath about how the blond 'wouldn't know what true art was'. Needless to say, it was like the first time she met them all over again. Sasori spoke condescendingly to his partner, who was surprisingly respectful of the red-heads opinion even though 'he was clearly wrong, un.' Sakura had to school herself into an impassive expression, despite the fact half their conversation made her want to burst into fits of laughter – and had it not been such a sore subject for two men, she probably would have. Of course, they had been off and on like this for the rest of the day, and before she even realized they were standing on the border separating Ame and Konoha.

A chill ran down her spine when she realized she was about to be stepping into not only unknown territory, but formerly 'enemy' territory. The pair must have sensed her discomfort and broke off their lovers quarrel for a while, Deidara irritably muttering something about 'he's just pissed off his art didn't save him from a little girl'. This all went mostly unnoticed as Sakura shifted into 'ninja mode' and kept her mind's eye on her surroundings.

"Relax, yeah, if we were going to kill you we wouldn't have went through all this trouble." Deidara sneered and she rolled her eyes.

"Sure, I'll just toss all my trust on two formerly missing-nin – one of which I assisted in killing, might I add – that were trying to capture and kill my best friend-turned lover through most of my teen years." Well, when she put it that way the blue-eyed male almost felt bad. Almost.

"We're still technically missing-nin since we didn't return to our separate countries." Sasori chimed in and she gestured to him with a 'see what I mean?' look at the more social of the pair. But really, Sakura couldn't blame them for not returning to their homes – after all, what was left for them? They cut their ties when they left, and most of the people they grew up with had probably died in the line of duty sometime before the war. That was just how their lifestyle was.

"The point was that we're not planning to hurt you, un." The pinkette smiled at him, shrugging her shoulders.

"I trust you about as far as I can throw you."

"Good. You could throw me pretty far from the looks of things, yeah."

Sakura couldn't help it; she snickered at his easy-going approach. Deidara grinned in response, though it appeared as if she wasn't the only one on edge by the way the trio fell into a content silence. Really, it wasn't as awkward as it was in the beginning – it seemed as though things were going to be okay for the smaller female – but she couldn't help but wish someone would fill the silence. Maybe that was just her though.

**_They're so fucking beautiful, Sakura. LOOK AT THEM, THEY LOOK LIKE ANGELS._**

Apparently Inner – who she had long ago started calling "Nee" – was willing to fulfill her wish.

_Very deadly angels. _She added thoughtfully, earning a triumphant snicker from her inner self.

**_Maybe these next few months won't be so bad! We can try to impress your new eye candy._**

_We're still dating Naruto, you know, Nee._

**_Oh. Riiiight. _**The inner character grinned wildly and Sakura suppressed the urge to roll her eyes.

This was going to be a long mission.


	3. Who We Were When

Nee had been chattering aimlessly to the one currently in control of their body, who was trying her hardest to ignore the innuendos and other such things spewing from her deepest thoughts. They had arrived in Amegakure faster than intended; after some short introductions she was given a room within Peins' tower on the same floor as the_ precious_ Akatsuki. Said Akatsuki took great interest in annoying the Hell out of her over the littlest things for the first few days, much to her disdain. The only times of peace she received was the short-lived moments that she could feel Naruto – using the Kyuubis' power, of course – reaching out through her necklace. A soft green glow pulsed from her hand as she squeezed the amethyst gem, smiling when it lit a faint orange in response. It was a simple enough trick, really.

They laced their chakra into the matching necklaces – how the Nine-Tails ended up in this mix was a bit of a longer explanation, but, basically, he explained why their original plan didn't work and Naruto somehow convinced him to help – and found with some great pleasure they could communicate through the different hues it would glow when reacting to their different chakra. It was a bit more intimate than sending a messenger bird – or frog and slug, in their case – and Sakura personally found great pleasure in the tingle of her lovers chakra occasionally forcing its way through her system. Unfortunately, she had not yet figured out how he managed to do that particular trick; he only grinned when she demanded he show her.

Even beating him in the head a few times wouldn't make him crack.

"I miss you." Sakura whispered as she sent another burst to the fox-like male, smiling wistfully when the necklace glowed a soft ruby color. They had stayed simple when trying to activate different hues for translating. The basics were easy enough to remember, it was just a bit more complicated when they sent colors simultaneously – the most frequent being orange, to red, to pink or vice versa which was basically "I love you" though neither had uttered those words since they confessed to one another. Hers had started off rather shallowly, but over time she had grown to believe it herself – after all, how could you not love the person who had always stood by you? The man who had spent his young life trying to make you happy; even going so far as hunting down 'the love of your life' even though it was probably killing him inside. Needless to say, when she realized her feelings ran a bit deeper than expected, it was in the most inconvenient of situations.

- X -

_"Naruto!" Sakura screeched as the male collapsed on the battlefield; the exhausted pinkette bolted his direction as she dodged through the waves of White Zetsu with some assistance from an unknown friend. By the time she reached him, he was apparently out cold, and the woman began to panic when she caught sight of the blood oozing from his stomach. There wasn't much thought as she ripped open his jacket and found the wound, glowing green hands resting over it with some urgency._

_"Sakura-chan!" A feminine voice called to her and was promptly ignored as the other female pulsed her chakra into her fallen friend, panic beginning to build up within her when his breath grew shallow._

_"H-Hey! Naruto, you need to wake up, okay?" She pleaded, eyes beginning to water as she trembled slightly, swallowing thickly. Of everyone, she had been dreading this moment more than any other. War brought death, and hate, and pain – the pink-haired teen was just waiting for this moment to rip her life to shreds. Their life together was passing over her glazed eyes as she tried hard not to cry; trying to convince herself she made it in time to save her dearest friend. Her dearest friend who loved her; her dearest friend she loved more than she realized._

_Her dearest friend who was on his death bed, with "the best medic in the world" sobbing over him like a child as she pushed every remaining ounce of her chakra into him._

Not him, not him, not him – sweet Kami, Jashin, **anyone, **please, please don't take him.

_Her prayers were answered when his eyelids fluttered open to catch her emerald eyes; he had the nerve to grin at her, however half-hearted and pained it may be. Tears spilled from the corners of her eyes, a little sniffle wiped the grin straight off his face as he attempted to sit up. A choked laugh left her lips as she pushed him down with her own form, kissing him abruptly; her hands cupped his face weakly before she pulled away. His blue eyes were wide with apparent alarm and she laughed hoarsely, looking over her shoulder to see a rather stiff Hinata and Neji playing bodyguard._

_"We need to get you two out of here, Sakura-san. We're retreating to the shoreline." Neji said coolly, keeping his calm façade as he cast her a weary glance._

_"Understood." Sakura said softly as she eyed Naruto with a worried scowl, who still looked shell-shocked from her sudden burst of affection. Gently, she took his hand and tugged him to his feet, earning a wince as he leaned on her slightly. He gently pressed his lips into her temple, turning her pink before she looked to the Hyuuga pair with a bit of a nod._

_"Let's go."_

- X -

Emerald eyes had fluttered closed with the bittersweet memory, only jolting awake when she felt Narutos chakra gently easing into her. The thin threads spread out from her necklace slowly; weaving into her chest painlessly as her eyes widened slightly in awe. Her lips tugged into a smile, though she shivered with a sharp intake of breath when it reached into her. The blue strings tickled her pleasantly, earning a bit of a giggle as she gently pushed some chakra into the necklace again; imagining the faint pink glow as her eyes drifted closed. The soothing strings retracted as an orange glow responded, before a blue turned slowly into violet – a signal usually used for 'good night' but considering the time, she figured he just wouldn't be able to communicate for a while. A huff pushed passed her lips as she rolled out of bed, mimicking the signal before the jewel lost its glow and returned to its usual purple tint.

Sakura made her way out into the hall after tugging on her usual attire, running a finger through her hair before she tied her headband into place. The girl offered a half-smile to the only other female in the building, earning a small one in response as they passed. Konan had turned out to be quite a lovable character, however emotionally handicapped she may be. The blue-haired woman was pleasant company compared to some other characters, such as the now fairly sarcastic and relaxed Itachi Uchiha [which unnerved her completely upon greeting him and getting a smirk] and the "only slightly" frightening Kakuzu. The latter she was warned to avoid angering by a beautifully heterochromatic brown/blue-eyed Pein [Yahiko, actually, but he had decided it would be too much effort to retrain everyone to use his name at this point], and Nagato only reiterated this by telling her horror stories about how he violently killed his other partners; the only reason Hidan had been allowed to join was because the stitched male couldn't kill him.

Speaking of the devil, she ducked into the kitchen non-too-nervously and began rummaging through the fridge to avoid said male. Digging out an array of food, she finally settled on just cooking some stew and calling it done; sighing, she put a pot on the stove and rolled her shoulders a bit as she heated a can of the bland substance. Chewing her lower lip she absentmindedly toyed with the gem around her neck, head cocked to one side.

"Sakura." A familiar head of red hair bobbed in her direction and she flashed him a smile. "Sasori." They stood awkwardly in the kitchen for a moment, mostly trying to ignore each other's presence before it suddenly dawned on her she was speaking with one of the most famous puppeteers to ever live. Surely he could tell her how it was Naruto managed to snake his chakra through her necklace.

"I sensed Narutos' chakra earlier," He commented, as if reading her mind. "I was wondering if you knew anything about it." His cinnamon eyes turned on her and she felt her face beginning to heat.

**_Oh, I could just melt. _**Nee swooned, making a fairly animated fainting image in the back of the pinkettes head.

"Oh, well, you see," Sakura stumbled over her explanation, turning to stir her food with seemingly undivided attention. "It's because of this necklace." She summarized, feeling too flustered to even imagine asking about Narutos' trick now.

"Chakra strings?" Sasori guessed quietly and she nodded slowly, chewing her lower lip again. "I don't know how he does it." There was an unspoken 'please explain this to me' that he apparently noticed, from the way his lips twitched upward in the corners.

"His chakra is infused with the gem, correct?" Sakura nodded again in response, prompting him to continue. "Then it's as simple as him locating the stray source of chakra; assuming yours is also infused into his charm, you should be able to do the same." Her blank expression earned a lazy smirk, his big, doe eyes shining with amusement.

"I'm sure you've noticed the missing portion of your own chakra; in order to access his charm all you have to do is reattach yourself to it." The female blinked, head tilting further to one side.

"I was wondering what was different about you." Sasori purred softly, smirking at her. "I didn't think it would be as simple as cutting out a piece of your chakra, though." She decided not to mention it had been a fairly confusing and frustrating process for her. In fact, it took her at least two days longer than the source of her affections to make her infuriatingly rebellious chakra stay put within Narutos' charm. Honestly, she didn't know how puppeteers could do such things so easily when she couldn't even make the simplest of chakra charms without trouble.

Once it was clear she was flustered by being teased by the missing-nin, the pinkette offered him some of her stew and they took seats at the table. Their talking was at a bare minimum as they ate, though it was not near as awkward as one would imagine. They were shortly joined by the former puppets partner, who cocked an eyebrow at their silence.

"Who died, yeah?" Sakura snorted, grinning at him as she finished her meal.

"My pride as a medic-nin with 'amazing chakra control'." This earned something of a snicker from Sasori as she air-quoted Tsunade. Deidara cast her an amused glance, still slightly confused by the female but deciding that was answer enough. He was very used to Sasoris' domineering nature; had no doubt at all it probably had something to do with him subtly insulting her abilities. He was too 'polite' to just come out and say something insulting [except to Deidara, for some odd, odd reason] so he just hinted towards it oh-so-smoothly. It was only mildly annoying at first, but once you caught on that he was just being an asshole, it became utterly infuriating.

Deidara couldn't wait until Sakura finally lost her patience for his crap.

This thought made the blond bomber grin as he sat with them. "So what are your plans for the evening, Sakura?" He hummed cheerfully, not missing Sasoris' quirked eyebrow as the red-haired male quietly ate his own food.

"Lock myself in the medical wing and work on organizing things." She said smoothly, fingering her necklace curiously as she offered a smile to the younger Akatsuki. The blue-eyed male nodded slowly, making a soft noise of acknowledgement. Her gaze shifted from him to the table as she played with the gem around her neck absent-mindedly.

"I should probably get started, actually." Sakura chuckled as she stood, bringing her dishes to the sink before stretching with a sigh. "If you guys need anything, you know where to find me." As the female left the room, Deidara eyed her curiously before hearing a snort from his partner. The other male appeared to be amused by the younger of the pair, eyebrows raised a bit as his lips curled upwards just slightly.

"You're acting like a lost puppy." That earned a scowl, sharp blue eyes narrowing dangerously. "I'm just curious, yeah." He argued and the red-head shrugged a bit.

"Don't get too caught up behind her, is all I'm saying."

"Awh, you do care, hm?"

"No, I just don't want to deal with you sulking when she goes back to her Kyuubi brat."

With those lovely parting words, Deidara was left in the kitchen alone. He rolled his eyes with a sigh, continuing with his meal as he debated whether or not he should bother the pink-haired woman who was gracing them with her presence. It wasn't like he was pining after her; it was just well-founded curiosity as to why she had accepted this particular mission. Considering everything the organization had put her through he wouldn't have been surprised to find she vehemently refused to assist them. They were after her boyfriend most of her life – which she had very calmly pointed out, considering she was so 'in love' with the male now – and she had successfully killed his partner. Sakura just seemed to take it all in stride, like none of it bothered her in the slightest anymore. Or more accurately, it was as if she completely _forgave _them for it; that just blew his mind.

He could never imagine the kunoichi forgiving them for their cruelty towards not only herself and her village, but the entirety of the shinobi world. They had thrown everyone into war so that they could kill her best friend turned-lover, and even went so far as to destroy entire nations, in his and Sasoris' cases. There was no earthly way she could forgive them for that, however unwilling most of them had been towards the end [you know, considering they were all _dead _and had no control of their reanimated bodies most of the time].

There was just _no way_.

Deidara found he had indeed wandered down towards the medical wing a good half-hour later, his feet automatically carrying him towards the subject of his thoughts. Pushing open the doors, he almost laughed at the medics disgruntled appearance – what, with papers laying all over the floor and herself sitting in the middle of it glaring down as if the floor had done something wrong. Emerald eyes caught sight of him and he watched as her face slowly turned red, earning a toothy grin from the male as he walked towards her with his arms crossed over his chest.

"I was coming to see if you needed any help," He lied smoothly, eyes twinkling mischievously. "I'm going to assume you do, un." Sakuras' face darkened in color as she cleared her throat quietly and began gathering up the strewn about papers. Being one who attracted the cliché, while he was gathering a few of them himself, their fingers brushed against each other's lightly; though both parties played it off as if it hadn't happened. He would have thought it his imagination had there not been the faintest jerk of her hand when she hurriedly grabbed that particular piece and stood.

"Thanks." She muttered as he handed her his own stack, smirking when she wouldn't meet his eyes.

"No problem, yeah. I'm not being sent out for the moment, so I figured I'd offer you some help." Her eyebrow quirked, a bit of an amused expression smoothing over her embarrassment; had he been a lesser man he might have squirmed.

_I so don't buy it._

**_Shut up and be grateful, you're eye candy is apparently interested._**

_I don't _want _him to be interested, Nee!_

**_Too late now, huh, Saku-chan?_** Her inner snickered as she shuffled the paper in her hands before setting it on an unusually cluttered desk in the corner of the white room. Honestly, it was obnoxious having to deal with this particular place – Sakura hated the plain, dull color that had taken so brightly to the walls of her new office. Said office was only separated from her examination/surgical room by a thin wall and door, but it was something she didn't have back home. The whole thing was really nice, all things considered. It was large, with a few cots along the farthest wall; a larger examination table placed in the middle. There were file cabinets along another wall, that were nicely hiding her office door in the corner. Now if only she could paint it a less painful color, she would be more than happy here in her new home.

"I could use some help unloading those boxes over there and making files for everyone." Sakura finally said, glancing to the file cabinets before eying the stacks of boxes that were undoubtedly filled with medical supplies she would rarely use. They were stacked beside a sink that had rows of cabinets hover above it, waiting to be filled with the pain killers and medications that someone of her stature never used in the first place. She was one of the best medics in the world – had healed fatal wounds and brought people back from the brink of death – and so it was only natural she wondered why in the world Pein would worry about providing her with such nonsensical things. Anything those pills could do, she could do at least twenty times better; anything those surgical tools did, she could accomplish with some well-spent chakra. It was a waste of money.

"I'll make files. I'm sure you're OCD about how your supplies are sorted, un." Deidara said with a snicker, and she grinned sheepishly. Was she really so easy to read?

"Thanks for the help, by the way." Sakura hummed as they parted ways to begin their separate tasks, talking across the room to one another.

"Just trying to make sure I have some brownie points for the time I end up visiting you, yeah." He teased, glancing over his shoulder as he scribbled down a name and began sorting the papers relating to said person into the newly made file. "Maybe you won't be so rough on me, un." His joke earned a giggle from the pinkette, who was smirking as she absentmindedly sorted through the different pill bottles.

"I'm not rough on anyone." She informed and he shook his head. "I dunno, I think Sasori would disagree with the way you smashed his body."

"Sasori was trying to kill me; there wasn't an awful lot I could do besides smash that creepy wooden body of his. Besides, it all worked out, right?"

When she called Sasori creepy he laughed, earning a soft giggle fit from his companion. "Yeah, I guess. If you call him actually having some emotion working out – I honestly didn't know he could be so obnoxious until I had to meet him as a human, un."

"He was able to feel as a puppet too, I think, just probably not on the same level as now. He let Chiyo kill him, after all." That was a little fact Deidara had been unaware of, and he rose a blond eyebrow despite her not being able to see it.

"Did he now, yeah?"

"Yeah. When he finally died she said he read her movement before stepping into the seal and letting himself be speared by his Mother and Father puppets; I felt unnaturally guilty he died after that. I don't think someone has ever haunted me as much as he did." Sakura was surprisingly open with the easy-going male, who hummed in response to her tidbit of information. He appeared to be in deep thought as he scribbled down names absent-mindedly before slowly speaking again.

"Was he the first person you killed, un?"

Sakura stopped moving for a moment, feeling oddly flustered by such a simple question. Sasori was indeed her first direct kill – her first taste of blood, as people often called it – but it wasn't as if she hadn't assisted in others deaths before. In fact, she wasn't sure why it was she was credited with the puppeteers death when Chiyo got the final blow that inevitably ended him.

"I didn't kill him, technically." She skirted around the question as she resumed her task, feeling a bit awkward with her follow up. "But yes, I consider him my first kill." The blond nodded, she noticed from the corner of her eye, and almost found herself smiling. Honestly, a ninjas first kill tended to be a personal thing – it was a milestone in their life that was treated similarly to… well, she supposed the closest analogy would be to losing their virginity. It only happened once, and though most people felt awkward by the way their world appeared to change so drastically, it was just something that happened. You had no control over it; no way to take it back. In some cases, such as hers, you could even become mildly depressed or disgusted by yourself in the darkest places of your mind. It was publically celebrated, however, unlike her chosen analogy – a sign you had finally joined the real ranks of the shinobi world – and used as proof you were an effective weapon for your village.

Killing Sasori is what turned her closer to being a medic rather than a combatant; she couldn't handle getting the _congratulations _for murdering someone in cold blood, however deserved it may have been, and decided she was better off saving people.

"His death took me off the battlefield." Sakura said slowly, hearing the rustling of papers pause as she spoke. "I couldn't handle being congratulated on killing someone – it made me sick to my stomach – and so I focused on being a medic instead. I might have killed him, but Sasori ultimately won that fight. He broke my psyche for a while, if we're being honest, and he made me a pacifist." Realizing she had already sorted through one box, she tore open another and started the process over – not really expecting a response from the other occupant of the room.

"Who was your first kill?" When a long enough moment had passed, the pinkette decided it was only fair she should ask.

"I honestly don't remember, yeah. I've killed a lot of people." It was a shockingly dark response and she involuntarily shuddered. It was easy to forget these people were just as dangerous as they had been on the battlefield; she made a note to never doubt any one of these people could easily end her life.

**_And they would probably think nothing of it._**

Sakura pushed her inner self away for a moment, wanting to be rid of the now tense air in the room. Unfortunately, she managed to make it through this box much more quickly, seeing as it was mostly surgical equipment, and then joined the helpful Akatsuki with a bit of a smile. Really, Deidara seemed the most… human, but at the same time: she had seen his manic side, when they were trying to take Gaara back from him. He could be equally as insane as the others of this organization – he was just as much crazy as Zetsu, Hidan, Kakuzu, and even Sasori in every right – but he apparently tried not to be. The emerald-eyed female could appreciate the effort, despite not knowing where it stemmed from; comforted herself with the thought that she was lucky it was him who wanted to befriend her, and not someone more unsettling.

"You were part of the Explosion Corps, right?" Deidara gave her a funny look, as if silently asking her why on Earth she would want to know such a thing.

"Yeah, un. Why?"

"The Tsuchikage trained us to combat the Explosion Release kekkei genkai – but yours is different. I was wondering why that was, since the old man was so defensive when I made the mistake of asking." He snorted audibly, grinning down at her as he shifted the file he'd been working on into the stack he had begun piling up.

"Kinjutsu – I stole the technique before leaving my village, yeah." Sakura made an 'o' and hummed in acknowledgement, glancing not-so-sneakily at his palms. Catching her eye, he chuckled before turning his palm upward and flashing her the mouth that resided there. As a medic, she was fascinated by it so completely she didn't notice she had gently taken his hand in her own; brushing her fingers across it curiously. It snapped closed at the uninvited contact, making her choke down a giggle – though she was completely oblivious to the blonds startled expression.

Not many people asked about his kekkei genkais' origins, and not many more went so far as to examine it so openly. Actually, he didn't think he'd ever let someone get this close to it without their death following immediately afterwards; he wasn't sure what exactly he was supposed to be doing now with his hand occupied by the pink-haired woman.

After a few more awkward moments for him – though fascinated by her poking and prodding at his palm so bravely – he cleared his throat. Sakura blinked, before realizing she had went 'full medic mode' as Naruto had dubbed it, and hastily released him. Offering him a sheepish grin, she apologized quietly and quickly returning her attention to the nearly finished sorting of papers.

Deidara watched her flustered retreat into her work curiously before a rather amusing idea decided to pop into his head. Reaching into the pouch on his hip quietly, he molded a small bird; eyeing it critically as it hopped in his palm before gently sending it to rest of the pinkettes file cabinet. Before he even had time to startle her, the female went rigid and eyed it wearily.

"Someones jumpy, un." He commented and she scoffed.

"I was the one who was left to clean up the mess you made with those little things, you know."

"You think I would blow us both to bits, hm?" Deidara was torn between being offended and flattered, though his voice held mocking undertones that could be attributed to either feeling if she looked hard enough.

"You've done it before." When she pointed this out, he couldn't help but smirk; laughing dryly as he shook his head before detonating his small sculpture with a flick of his fingers. Despite her teasing, she looked genuinely entertained by his little show, even managing to crack a smile as she turned her attention back to him.

"If I wasn't half-convinced you're insane, I would tell you I happen to be very jealous of your kekkei genkai." Sakura said simply, finishing off the paper work quickly before turning to lean against her desk lazily.

"Only half-convinced?" He purred, snickering as she shrugged her shoulders – obviously trying to appear at ease in his presence.

"Well, when you aren't killing people or kicking puppies, it seems like you're a nice guy." She defended, and he vaguely caught onto the fact they were borderline flirting. To say it amused him would have been an understatement as he crossed his arms and sneered down at her.

"That tends to be a very deadly mistake for most people, yeah."

"It's a good thing I'm not most people then, isn't it?"


End file.
